Caring Company Provides Christmas Cheer
A Nottinghamshire domiciliary care provider has delivered some seasonal cheer to clients, their families and staff.
Respectful Care marked its second anniversary by staging a Christmas carol concert at St Peter and St Paul’s Parish Church, Mansfield, attended by more than 100 guests.
The event, on Wednesday 9 December, featured a festive performance by St Peter’s CofE Primary School’s award-winning choir, along with soloists and readings by pupils.
There were also heartfelt testimonials read out by people whose loved ones have been, or are being, cared for by the company, based in Mansfield Woodhouse.
They included John Limb, who praised the care given to his late wife Pat, and Mark Betts and sister Karan Hunt, whose 83-year-old mother Jean Betts is a current client.
Mrs Betts, from Mansfield, said: “I enjoyed the concert very much indeed. I liked the very feeling of community and seeing different people that I know. I knew my eldest son and my daughter were going to give a little speech, so I was really looking forward to that.
“It was nice to be in church and see the children’s choir, who I thought were absolutely wonderful.
“I think it’s very good of Respectful Care to do this for us. I came to last year’s concert as well. It’s nice to bring the young and elderly together.”
Other guests included representatives of partner organisations including West Nottinghamshire College and Jobcentre Plus.
Afterwards, guests enjoyed a meal and refreshments in the adjacent St Peter’s Centre, plus a craft-a-thon boasting items such as blankets and cuddly toys hand-made by clients over the last 12 months, with proceeds going to the John Eastwood Hospice Trust.
Respectful Care co-founder Scott Marsh said: “Sadly, some of our clients aren’t able to leave their homes very often, so we decided to build on the success of last year’s inaugural concert and give even more of them an opportunity to spend an enjoyable few hours at an event organised especially for them and to celebrate Christmas with us.
“The choir was absolutely superb and made it a truly memorable occasion. It was lovely to see our clients singing along with the children and getting into the festive spirit.”
Mr Marsh continued: “Our company has had an amazing first two years and this was our way of giving something back and saying ‘thank you’ to our clients, their families, our staff and everybody else who’s been part of our success story.
“We intend to stage the carol concert for many years to come and make it a well-established fixture in Mansfield’s Christmas events calendar.”
Respectful Care was launched in 2013 by business partners Mr Marsh, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, and Mark Docherty, from Mansfield. It has grown from employing just three members of staff to more than 50, and delivers 1,200 hours of personalised home care and support to almost 100 clients per week.
The company recently opened a branch in Arnold, Nottingham, to serve clients in the north of the city.
